A Ribbon for Your Secrets
by AzikaRue394
Summary: One day, Mariam notices a ribbon on Max's ring finger. What if he refuses to tell her what it's for? MaxXMariam


A/N: This is my Three Point Challenge that Macy(Demolition-GIRL-33236) gave me when I couldn't figure out what to write my next oneshot about. It's long for my usual oneshot but there's no point in breaking it up into a two-shot.

My three things were: the color blue, a ribbon, and a beach house. MaxXMariam :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or Hawaii or any beach house that may be located there.

Enjoy!

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**A Ribbon for Your Secrets**

The morning sun rose in all of its glamorous wonder over the state of Hawaii on July morning. The occasional bird chirped as the two occupants of a canary yellow beach house snoozed away the early morning.

The older of the couple, a blue-eyed dreamboat by the name of Max Tate, moaned as a brush of sea air chilled his bare chest. He shifted his position so as to bring the sheet up to cover the bottom portion of his torso, leaving his shoulders and arms exposed.

He rolled onto his side, facing away from the open window and slung an arm over the hips of his wife of just over a year. He always slept with some part of him touching her. Usually he had an arm at her waist, but they'd slept holding hands before; he'd even held her in his arms as she snuggled against him a few times.

This contact was a silent promise from him to her. As long as they had contact, he would always be there. There would never be anyone else; he loved her above any other woman and that how it'd stay. If ever a fight occurred, Max would intertwine their feet. It was okay; they'd get through it, and they always did. They had never had an argument that lasted till morning.

Mariam rolled over to face her love. She wrapped her legs with his and snaked her arms around his middle; she was in a cuddly mood this morning.

He accepted the close proximity of embrace by tightening his hold, keeping her flesh against himself.

"We've gotta get up soon, darling." Max had a streak of obvious reluctance in his voice.

She pressed her rosy lips to his shoulder.

"I don't wanna." She uttered childishly, clutching him tighter, willing him to let her sleep for another hour.

"We have to." he repeated, her antics sparking a grin, "We're painting the music room today."

Max's parents had asked him and Mariam to travel to Hawaii to prepare the house. Judy and John had gotten some work done the previous week but it was necessary that they leave to stall Katie and Cameron, Max's aunt and uncle. The house was for them. It was the couple's anniversary and they'd always dreamed of a beach house, so this year, the family had decided to help out with their fantasy.

"Painting's no fun." The oceanette protested, circling patterns onto his naked back; it had become a favorite pastime.

She looked up into her husband's eyes, just realizing that he'd been staring at her and playing with the hem of her cami. The blond let go of her shirt and reached around to clasp her hands. He brought them back around and folded their fingers together, holding her hands in front of him. Crystal blue met emerald and kept the contact for a few moments before sighing.

"I'm gonna take a shower, Mer."

He pulled her up with him as he sat up.

"No." She didn't want to get up today, at least, not just yet. She may be able to be persuaded eventually, not now.

Max stood up off of the bed and captured her in a quick, gentle kiss.

"Well, you stay here then. I'll paint." He gave her a sparkling smile as he grabbed the clothes he'd set out the night before. Mariam had gotten him into the habit and Tyson often joked that she was turning him into a woman.

Mariam watched her husband's bodacious retreating form as he slunk into the bathroom. She smiled unconsciously while pondering her luck and tumbled out of bed to start the day.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Max left the bathroom, a few water droplets still beading and dripping off of his hair. His lovely wife stood, facing away, at the other side of the room. She was just about to slip on a tee shirt when he snuck up behind her and shook his head, sending splashes of water onto her bare back. She squealed in surprise and wheeled around to face the laughter-lined face.

"You don't fully dry your hair just so you can do that, right?" She asked the age-old I-know-the-answer-but-I'll-ask-anyway type of question that any man would recognize from his wife.

He nodded, flashing a boyish grin as the tugged on her shirt over the black satin bra.

"Aren't you taking a shower?" he inquired as to why she was already dressed.

"Nope." she muttered whilst raking her hair up into a ponytail.

"Ah, au naturale?"

Max ducked when she threw her pajamas at him, all the while laughing insanely.

"For your information," she stated deliberately, giving him a look, "I'm just gonna take one after we paint so we don't run up the water bill."

"Mum's paying for the first month of bills anyway." The blond snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her back to his chest.

Just then, Mariam noticed the green, silky ribbon tied around her husband's ring finger, joining the golden wedding band there.

"What's that for?"

"Nothing." he dismissed, tilting his head over her shoulder to kiss her cheek.

"But-"

"C'mon." Max lead the way out into the hall, "We've got a room to paint."

They set to work, covering the maple flooring with a drop cloth, prepping and taping off the walls. The duo had gotten into a routine in their previous days at the house: prep to paint, eat, actually paint. They concluded that it was easiest this way so they couldn't escape to the beach after their meal, having already started their job.

Mariam was looking wistfully out the music room's French doors that held a spectacular ocean view when a hand waved in front of her face. She turned to look Max in the eyes.

"Breakfast time." He offered a hand which she took and the two walked to the kitchen together in perfect step.

As they washed their hands, Max flicked some water at Mariam who, in turn, gave him a face full. She let out a whoop of laughter at his befuddled look and then she spied the ribbon, untied and left on the counter while its owner's hands were being washed.

"I wish you'd tell me what this is for." She fingered the ribbon as she gave him her best puppy-dog eyes, laughter having died down.

The former Bladebreaker leaned forward and stopped with his lips centimeters from her ear.

"It's a secret."

She shivered as his breath tickled the sensitive skin. He took the ribbon from her and retied it to his finger. He gave the defeated woman a quick peck on the temple before reaching into the cupboard to retrieve a frying pan.

"What are you making?" Mariam hopped up to sit on the counter where her love would be doing the cooking.

"Pancakes." He brought a mixing bowl, some pancake mix, milk, and eggs over to the counter.

"Can you put chocolate chips in?" Her face held a slightly pleading look.

"I thought you wanted to stay away from sweets." he replied slyly, "A month, remember?"

"We're on vacation, baby. Please, for me?" She gave him her brightest smile, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.

"For a demon child you can sure be sweet." The man muttered, opening the fridge and extracting the chips. "And, just for the record, this isn't exactly a vacation, working everyday. I'll take you on a real vacation next month when I can get some more time off."

"Where should we go?" Mariam asked, watching him mix the ingredients.

"The Bahamas?" he suggested.

"We always go to the beach. I mean, it's fun, but we always go." The bluenette felt a little bad that she didn't want the same as Max. She loved the beach, but this time, she had something else in mind.

"It's kind of an American tradition. Not to mention, you look absolutely stunning in a bikini." The last part was stated as though it was an undebatable fact, and to him it was.

"I can wear a bikini in a hot tub anywhere." she countered, determined to get her way. It would be easy with her husband, Max was such a softie.

"Point taken. You know I don't care where we go; I just like to be with you and not have to go to work. You can choose where we go." Max poured the pancakes onto the heated frying pan. Resting his chin in his hands, and his elbows on his wife's thighs, he waited for them to cook.

"Can we go to that mountain cabin again?" Fingers sewed themselves into Max's blond hair.

"The one we honeymooned in?"

She nodded, "It'll be romantic, snuggling by the fire, drinking cocoa, and eating chocolate covered strawberries in the candlelight."

"Fine by me." He smirked and went to flip and finish the pancakes.

The couple finished eating and returned to the music room to paint. Mariam poured the perfectly hued sky blue paint out so that they could use the paint rollers. And, so, the tedious task began. They painted everything within their reach on two walls before bringing in the ladder and finishing the tops.

They were prepared to paint the other walls when:

"Will you _please_ tell me why you have that ribbon?" She seemed to have been contemplating it for a while and coming up short, resorted to begging.

Max stood up awkwardly, surrounded by ladders, paint cans, brushes, tape, and trays, and leaned forward to grasp the woman's shoulders. He pulled her forward a little and planted a soft whisper of a kiss on her lips.

"Why do you always kiss me after I ask you that?" He was starting to get on her nerves in a way only he was capable of.

"It's one of the only ways to shut you up." he informed, "You would just keep bugging me otherwise and I told you: it's a surprise."

"A surprise!?" Max always had the best surprises like the Carribean cruise and when he gave her a deep-tissue massage the time she had the flu.

"I didn't say that." he denied with half a smile.

"Yes you did! You said secret before and you just said surprise. Which is is?"

"Secret."

"So, it's a secret?"

"No, I mean it's a secret as to whether it's a surprise or a secret."

Mariam groaned in exasperation.

"Max, you're-mmph!"

Max pressed his supple lips to hers once more. She relaxed quickly into the passionate show of affection and took a step forward to deepen the kiss.

"Ah!" A shriek rang in the room quickly followed by peals of laughter and the splatter of paint.

Mariam had trod on the edge of a paint tray, causing it to flip up, splattering the couple with baby blue paint. They split apart in shock and Max reeled back into the ladder, knocking a can of paint off the top, spilling it all over them.

Both went to walk out of the line of fire, but only succeeded in slipping in the mess and falling to the ground, scattering painting supplies every which way. Red-faced laughter took them over and it was a few good minutes before either recovered.

"We...need to....clean up...this...mess." The green-eyed party took large gasps of air as she panted, trying to regain her breath.

Max stood and offered her a blue hand which she gladly accepted.

"Forget about it." The blond pushed her out of the room and, ignoring the string of protests, pushed her into their bedroom.

"Clean up." He left, closing the door, leaving his wife with a lingering smile.

* * *

Mariam growled in dissatisfaction. She was currently standing in her and Max's shared bathroom staring at the empty space on the double sink where her clothes should've been. Max probably thought this was really funny. She wrapped a lilac bath towel around herself and left the bathroom, long blue locks still soaked with water.

Set out on the bed, Mariam found a delicate white dress. The dress had a knee-length, flowing skirt that would fan out nicely if she spun. The waist and stomach were slightly cinched to accentuate her thin, hourglass figure. The neck came down in a V shape and the dress was held up by a strap of fabric that wrapped around behind her neck like a halter top.

Figuring that she might as well play along, and because the gesture was, actually, very touching, Mariam picked up the dress and retreated to the bathroom.

When she came out, she looked like a shorter, slightly more shapely version, of a supermodel. The dress was perfect for her and her free-flowing, side-parted hair gave her a laid back look.

Mariam sighed. Only for Max would she ever wear a dress. She'd worn a skirt to separate herself from the boys on her team for the longest time, and she'd been thrilled when she was finally allowed to wear shorts. She'd been forced into wearing make-up for her wedding and, though it was minimal, she swore that she'd never wear the stuff again. She was a firm believer in natural beauty.

She padded out of the bedroom in her bare feet, searching for that mysterious man of hers. She looked into the music room and smiled. Max had finished with the painting and totally cleaned up the mess, the smell of paint still lingered in the air. The French doors were open, she noticed, so she hurried over and peered out onto the beach.

The setting sun filled the sky with splendid pinks and oranges as well as deep reds and faint purples that, in turn, reflected in the ocean's surface. She caught the view of a faint silhouette near the water's edge and grinned yet again. That man made her smile more often and easily than anything in the vast stretch of the universe.

She left the house at a cautious walk, at first, to be sure she had the right person. When she saw the blond hair and posture that screamed 'Max', she took off at a run. The evening had cooled the sand, allowing bare feet some comfort.

Max heard his love coming and turned, grinning widely. She reached him and, throwing herself into his arms, kissed him fervently. He swung her around a few times before setting her down.

"Thanks, for all you did, Maxie." She wound a hand into his hair. "You finished all the work. You look nice." An eyebrow was raised.

He wore a white dress shirt, slightly unbuttoned and untucked. His dress pants were sandy at their bottoms and his feet were also bare.

"It wasn't that hard. You look amazing yourself." He gave her a quick survey as he took her hand, "Come here; I have a surprise for you."

"So it _is_ a surprise." She triumphed as he dragged her into a small picnic area farther back on the beach.

The picnic table was covered in a white table cloth that seemed to glow at the dusky hour. Candles on golden candlesticks stood on either side of the centerpiece; a framed photograph taken of Max and Mariam back when they were fifteen. Max had packed a picnic basket and he now opened it, bringing out two salads, already prepared.

She thanked him when he set hers down in front of the seat she'd chosen. She was still in awe of the sincerity of the whole setup when her husband sat himself on her left.

"Something wrong?" The question was formed as cerulean blue eyes gazed curiously at Mariam.

"No. It's just-why did you do this?" A line of upset worry creased her forehead.

"Do I need a reason?"

"No, but...the ribbon...I feel like I'm forgetting something important that you remembered."

Max now understood. He tilted her face up to look into her eyes. He leaned down and tenderly kissed her lips. It was a brisk, but heartfelt kiss.

"_I_ almost didn't remember today." He murmured when they broke apart.

"What's today, Max?" The two were still extremely close to each other but neither felt in the least bit inclined to back away.

"About seven to eight years ago, today, a certain Bladebreaker and Saint Shield were trapped together in a collapsing warehouse. That boy was touched by her caring nature. She hadn't displayed such character before and he hoped that it wouldn't be the last time that he'd see a glimpse of her soul. That's when I started to fall for you."

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A/N: This was a little mushy; Max and Mariam are hopelessly romantic. I hope this was satisfactory. I think it started to lack a little in the middle, but it picked back up at the end.

I think my next oneshot will be another character/anyone. If you have any requests, feel free to let me know.

On another note, did you like it?? How do you think I used the words? Review?


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